Mechanical-construction blocks.



C, H. PA'JBAU.

MEOMNIOAL OONSTOUOTION BLOCKS.

APPLIOATION mgm une, 1911s.

` v Patented A1311?, 1914.

a SHOTS-snm 1.g

G. H. PAJBAU.

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION BLOCKS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. e, 1913,

lgl. Patendtpru?, 1914,.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Q/mlu N I d E l l N C. H. PAJEAU.

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION BLOCKS,

APPLICATION ULEB mme. 1913.

Lwl. Patented Apr. 7, 19m

3SHEBTS-SEEET 3.

being ont sway to ezqoose others.

Specinee-tion of :Letters Patentn lmet-terrine. lg/ir. "3J, Lidl/Ll.

Abpieation flied annary 6, will. Serial No. 2l0,l30.

To alla whom 'l may conc-em:

Re it known that I, CHARLES lleMIL'roN PAJEAU, citizen of the United States, residing at Evanstomin the county of Gool?. and State of lllinois, have invented ertein new and useful mprovements in MechanicelConstruetion Blocks; end `l do hereby declare the following to be n full, clear, and emot description -o bhe invention, suoli es will enable others skilled. in the srt to which it appertains to make endnse the seme.l

My invention relates to mechanical -eonstruction blocks and particularly to the Class of blocks used for erecting toy -louildings,V

bridges, furniture and other structures.

' The object of my invention is to provideV a 4set of such blocks in which the constituent members will be. relatively and inter changeably interl'itting or eoactlng and 1n which part of these members Will he adept ed lo interchange to form e conteinerfor housing the balance of the set. I attain this object by the construction shown in the neu companying drawings, in Which- Figure --1- is e pien View of s set of blocks embodying my invention, part oie the blocks comprising the cover of e container Figs. 2, -3- and -ll`- are elevations of structures Yformed of part; of the blocks in are sections through Fig. 1- along 'the lines 5--5, 6--6A and 7-7.. l fragmentary View of n corner of the frame portions of the set, with one member slid out of its normal nlinement.

In the drawings, Fig. -lshows part of the set oil.' blocks es housed in e container ormed'of interengeged Wood blocks comg prising,` sides l, ends `2, top members 3 endbottom members e.' Raich of the members 1 preferably has neer its ends doveteil shaped grooves 5 adapted to receive the dovetailed ends 6 or" the end membersvg; the ends 6 preferably having' slots 'l' parallel to their faces, thereby forming slotted ends which may be manually sprung toward each other for easier insertion in the grooves 5. lleeh slot l -is preferably enlarged et one point into a perfortion 8, into which e.

vWedgege or pin may be inserted to spread the split end 6' into locking engagement with. the sides or" the groeven. The end members 2 are of the same height orY Width es' the members l s o that when engaged with the letter, the longitpdinal edges of seid respec- Fig. f8 is er else is provided with interlitting Ineens for intel-engaging' with ether'bloelrs ol the set, such es 'the longitudinal grooves l0 and, ll into which the ends of bottom members Ll and top members respectively, may be slidebly insertef.. ln assembling the parte l, l2, 3 and' which eonstitute the container for the remaining blocks of the set, the end members 2 and side members l ere `lirst slidebly interengaged te form :i frame, one of the end members being slid ont of Wise elinement with the side members so es to expose the ends of one or the longitndi nel ,grooves in each of the said side memhers, as shown in Fig. -8-. l1 `nen the bottom members nre slid into their normal position in the seid grooves, aft-er which the nnnl-ined'end member of the iframe is slid into its normnl position to complete the open container for receiving; other blocks of the set. After these have been inserted, one of the end'members of the frame is again slid out oit' alinement with the sides of the frame so as toprovide access to the ends of 1he longitudinal grooves 11, into which the ends of the cover members 3 are then slidebly in serted, after which the said unnlined end member is returnedto its normal nlined position. By making the doveteil shaped grooves 5 upon ,fthe sides l slightly narrower than the dovetniled ends 6 of the end members- Z, these ends 6 oil spring outwardly so as to enge O'e the coaching dofveteiled por- .be tions of the sides l with sni'leient firmness for retaining the end n oers in either of their said aiineid or anni led lons relative to the side members.

In the embodiment or" my invention shown in 'the drawings, the set of blocks is coniposed 'ily of substantially cylindrical or dowel-sheped blocks l2 and partly of noneylindrienl blocks, the latter having peri-orntions 'l-l for interlitting 'with the ends of the.

aising the 'nfnponent The lio -8- that by manuallyv compressing each of the split ends of the end member 2, the latter can be freely slid transversely of the side members of the frame so as to be moved into or out of edgewise alinement With the latter; also, that when the manual pressure is released, the resiliency of the split -ends will cause the latter to spring outwardly so as to lock the end members 2 in rigid relation to the other members of the container. When the end member which Was slid out of its normal alinement with adjacent members of the frame for permitting the insertion of the top members has been returned to its alined position (as shownl as the lower edge of Fig. -l-), t-his end member serves to retain the slidable bottom and top members in their coacting position as parts of the container. Thus the resilient split ends of the end members form manually releasable means for interlocking these end members with other portionsof the `frame in such relation as to retain the other container members in rigid c action.

. hile I have shown my invention in an embodiment having a particular form of releasable interlocking means and particular shapes of relatively intertting blocks. I do not Wish to be limited to these, as the various elements of my invention might be varied considerably Without departing from its spirit. Neither do I Wish to be limited to Wood as a material for such constructionblocks', although my invention is particularly adapted; for utilizing the waste of Wood-Working establishments.

. claim as Vmy invention:

, iseto lmechanical construction blocks comprising a plurality oli-blocks of various lshapes andsiae adapted to be interengaged withv andv sup rposed upon each otherto form structures of various architectural and m'chanicalforms, a number of lsaid blocks provided with relatively interfitting and inte'rloclfing.l means and adapted, when interincassi frame members to erm a bottom and cover for said frame, whereby 'a container for the remainder of said set is formed.

3. A set-of mechanical construction blocks comprisin a knockdown container consisting of a p urality ot separable relatively interitting,r interengaging and interlocking members, and a plurality of blocks of various shapes andv'sizes adapted to be received in said container, said blocks comprising said container being adapted, When separatedand disengaged to be. engagedy with and superposed upon each other and the remainder. of the set to produce a variety of architectural and mechanical structures.

4. A set of mechanical construction blocks including two pairs of members adapted to be interengaged to form a rectangular frame, one pair of said members having parallel transverse dovetail grooves in their opposed faces, the ends of the other pair .of said members havin dovetail ends of greater Width than said grooves and being longitudinally slotted inwardly of said dovetail ends to render the latter contractible to fit and yieldingly engage in said dovetail grooves. t

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses. f

CHARLES llAlllIL'lN YAJEAU. Witnesses:

M. M. BOYLE, E. H. MAoDoNnLL. 

